1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to object-oriented systems, and in particular to an object-oriented modeling tool.
2. Description of Related Art
Object modeling tools permit a developer to develop an object model and then execute the model to observe its behavior. In creating an executable model, developers are often forced to choose the programming language of the executable program early in the development process. If the programming language is chosen early, the advantages and disadvantages of that language tend to color many other choices. The developer might try, for example, to take advantage of features such as runtime functions, bindings, or multiple inheritance.
When the executable program is generated with current modeling tools, the entire object-oriented system is generated and included within the executable program. This means that each time the object-oriented system is modified, the entire object-oriented system may need to be regenerated.
There is a need in the art for an object modeling tool that allows the developer to create a model and later select the execution language. Further, there is a need in the art for an object modeling tool that permits the modular generation of an executable program.